County outline
Where Carteret County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 38.2% of Carteret County’s measured area and water for 61.8%. Its combined area converts to 3,445.7 square kilometers or approximately 851,463 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 507.621 | 1,314.732 | 324,877.4 |
| Water | 822.79 | 2,131.016 | 526,585.6 |
| Total | 1,330.411 | 3,445.749 | 851,463 |
How Carteret County compares
By original Census land area, Carteret County ranks #41 of 100 in North Carolina and #2046 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.103 times the North Carolina county-equivalent median of 460.3 square miles. It accounts for 1% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete North Carolina ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Carteret County
The Census Bureau estimates that 70,469 people lived in Carteret County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #795 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #40 of 100 in North Carolina. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 67,679, the population has grown by 2,790 (+4.1%), compared with +7.2% for North Carolina as a whole.
With 507.6 square miles of land, that is 139 people per square mile (54 per km²), placing Carteret County #810 nationally for density and #45 in North Carolina. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the North Carolina median is 116. Put another way, there are about 4.6 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 67,692 | 68,695 | 69,335 | 69,646 | 70,215 | 70,469 |
| Change | — | +1,003 | +640 | +311 | +569 | +254 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Carteret County
11 incorporated places lie at least partly in Carteret County. Together they are home to 32,485 people (46.1%); the other 37,984 (53.9%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Morehead City town, with 10,434 residents in the county. The county seat, Beaufort town, has 4,912 residents. By land, Newport town is the largest at 7.829 mi². Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Beaufort town grew fastest since then (+10.1%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morehead City town | 10,434 | +9% | 7.44 |
| Beaufort townCounty seat | 4,912 | +10.1% | 5.195 |
| Newport town | 4,500 | +3.3% | 7.829 |
| Emerald Isle town | 3,970 | +3.1% | 4.949 |
| Cape Carteret town | 2,273 | +2% | 2.526 |
| Cedar Point town | 1,825 | +2.7% | 2.221 |
| Pine Knoll Shores town | 1,423 | +2.5% | 2.211 |
| Atlantic Beach town | 1,408 | +2.6% | 2.381 |
| Peletier town | 803 | +3.6% | 3.618 |
| Bogue town | 706 | +2.3% | 2.742 |
| Indian Beach town | 231 | +4.1% | 0.572 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Carteret County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Carteret County is a central county of the Morehead City, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area. Carteret County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the micro area has the same 507.6 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #428 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #107 by population. It belongs to the New Bern-Morehead City, NC Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
19 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Carteret County; 17 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
28511285122851628520285242852828531285532855528557285702857528577285792858128582285842858928594
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Carteret County
Carteret County shares a land border with 3 county equivalents. It has more land than 1 of them. The largest neighbor is Onslow County (762.1 mi²) and the smallest is Jones County (471.4 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Carteret County forms a block of 2,447.6 mi² of land, of which it holds 20.7%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Carteret | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onslow County | 762.1 | 1.5× larger | Compare |
| Craven County | 706.5 | 1.4× larger | Compare |
| Jones County | 471.4 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
How big is Carteret County compared with U.S. states?
Carteret County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 2 times as much. North Carolina’s county land could hold about 96 areas the size of Carteret County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 22.5 miles (36.3 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Carteret County?
Carteret County has more land than 1,176 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Carteret County at #515 nationally by total area, 1,531 places closer to the top than its land rank. The water assigned to this geography moves it ahead of some county equivalents with more land.
Its water share is 61.8%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 60.7 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Carteret County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2045 | Shenandoah County, Virginia | 508.1 | Compare |
| #2046 | Carteret County, North Carolina | 507.6 | This county |
| #2047 | Carter County, Missouri | 507.3 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 34.861693, -76.535856. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 1,314,733,529 m²; AWATER: 2,131,017,125 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Carteret County?
Carteret County, North Carolina has 507.6 square miles (1,314.7 km²) of land and 822.8 square miles of water, for a total area of 1,330.4 square miles. It ranks #2046 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Carteret County the largest county in North Carolina?
No. Carteret County ranks #41 of 100 in North Carolina by land area. The largest is Robeson County, with 947.3 square miles of land.
What counties border Carteret County?
Carteret County shares a land border with Craven County, Onslow County, and Jones County.
What is the population of Carteret County?
The Census Bureau estimates Carteret County had 70,469 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #795 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 139 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Carteret County?
The county seat of Carteret County is Beaufort.
What cities and towns are in Carteret County?
Carteret County has 11 incorporated places. The most populous five are Morehead City town, Beaufort town, Newport town, Emerald Isle town, and Cape Carteret town; 37,984 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Carteret County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Morehead City, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Carteret County?
19 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Carteret County, and 17 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Carteret County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Carteret County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 324,877 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 851,463 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.